


The thread

by KFlynn



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: AU, Alive Hale pack, Derek plays Basketball, Fluff, M/M, Soulmates, werewolves are known
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-09-17 12:31:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16974654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KFlynn/pseuds/KFlynn
Summary: There were numerous stories out there about soulmates. Some said it was the soul calling out to each other. Some said the supernatural beings could smell it and would be drawn to their perfect matches. Others said it was a matter of the heart, connecting them with a thin thread that would grow when they were close and, in time, turn into an unbreakable bond. Werewolves often cemented this bond by biting their mates during the full moon (and in Stiles’ imagination a lot of sex was involved), but there wasn’t much information about this out there.He could, of course, just ask one of the werewolves, but… nah.





	The thread

**Author's Note:**

  * For [klahey1400](https://archiveofourown.org/users/klahey1400/gifts).



> This story is for Klahey1400 and I hope you like what I came up with =)
> 
> Thanks also to Mel for being my beta!

Stiles let himself ungracefully hit the seat with his behind, accompanied by a sigh that was probably a bit too dramatic to fit into the scene overall.

His helmet lay next to him and his fingers curled around the Lacrosse stick, but his eyes were on the field where the rest of the team was still busy training. Coach shouted commands, and most of the players followed suit. Apart from Greenberg, who swiftly joined Stiles on the side lines.  
It was a normal day, a normal training session. 

Stiles was used to sitting on the bench, and sometimes he wondered why he even joined in the first place. But as he glanced up, to see Scott wave at him with one of the biggest smiles possible after he just scored, he remembered. He had joined because Scott hadn’t dared to try it out alone, back then when they had both been nothing but human.

Scott, however, was a werewolf now. And as such had climbed up the school’s imaginary ranking ladder. He had turned from Stiles’ accomplice and partner-in-crime to co-captain of the team, to boyfriend of the hot Hunter girl, to being part in one of the world’s most famous werewolf packs: the Hales.

The Hales were simply amazing. They were the protectors of Beacon Hills, and the only family known to be able to transform into full-on wolves. Stiles had seen them once, running through the forest when the full moon had been up in the sky. He had tried to snatch a picture, but all had been too fast, a flurry of movement rushing past him as he stood in absolute awe. Well, apart from one utterly black wolf, who had stopped and turned to stare at him, almost waiting until Stiles had taken a pic and smiled happily. Then he had dashed off.

The Lacrosse Team also had some wolves – Boyd, Isaac, and Scott, respectively. Jackson wasn’t human either, but he was some sort of weird Lizard. But he also was a part of the hot people in Beacon High, with the Banshee Lydia as his girlfriend. 

Stiles would never deny the crush he had had on Lydia in Kindergarden. But it had faded pretty quickly once they had entered High School – not only because she started dating Jackson, but also because Stiles noticed that his heart actually lay elsewhere. His heart had chosen a certain black haired, utterly gorgeous man: Derek Hale. 

He was the captain of the Basketball Team, one year his senior, and the most handsome person he had ever seen. Sure, he looked like a rough Sourwolf most of the time, but he had seen him with his pack and family, and there he was nothing but perfect. Stiles wasn’t a stalker or anything, not like all the fangirls trying to date Derek, but there was something that always made his skin crawl in a very nice way when the werewolf was around. He had a crush. Or maybe even worse. 

Worse? Yes, because it was so one sided. Sadly.

When he had talked to Scott about what it felt like from the moment on he had seen him for the first time, his best friend had suggested that they might be soulmates. And heck, that would have been wonderful! Stiles had even begun to dream about this, imagined being courted by a born werewolf, by wearing his cool leather jackets or sitting next to him in his Camaro. But well, nothing had ever happened. He had watched a Basketball game and had stared at Derek, trying to make him feel the same as he did, but nothing had happened. 

And then, he had seen Erica running towards him, placing kisses on his cheek and yeah, that was it.  
Ever since then he didn’t watch the Basketball games anymore. 

Sadly, his little crush didn’t want to leave him alone. He often dreamt of Derek, it was almost as if he could feel him when he was close, and if he focused really hard, he sometimes even imagined a thin thread leading towards him.

But that was just wishful thinking, right?

Scott, even though he was a werewolf himself, wasn’t really helpful in that soulmates matter. He was madly in love with Allison, and he was sure that she was the one. He had described it like the best feeling ever when he kissed her, a yearning when she was away, a spark when they touched, and a connection between them. A connection that made him feel where she was and if she was okay. He could feel it when she was hurt or in trouble. 

There were numerous stories out there about soulmates. Some said it was the soul calling out to each other. Some said the supernatural beings could smell it and would be drawn to their perfect matches. Others said it was a matter of the heart, connecting them with a thin thread that would grow when they were close and, in time, turn into an unbreakable bond. Werewolves often cemented this bond by biting their mates during the full moon (and in Stiles’ imagination a lot of sex was involved), but there wasn’t much information about this out there. 

He could, of course, just ask one of the werewolves, but… nah.

His own research hadn’t helped him a lot, unfortunately. Yes, there were a lot of entries in the Internet that dealt with the topic, but some were overly romantic, whereas others condemned the very notion of soulmates at all, as if this was something that took away your own free will. Stiles didn’t believe that meeting your soulmate would overwrite everything else. From what he knew it was more like finally feeling complete, and just the best thing ever.

Scott had it. Jackson had it. Boyd claimed to have it. 

He wanted to have it, too.

But there was no sense in running around looking for your soulmate. There wasn’t a mark on your body or anything that would lead you into the right direction. No, instead it was a thin thread, a golden glowing thing that led him right to Derek Hale, whatever he did. But what was it worth, when he was the only one who could see it? Could soulmates be one sided?

And even worse: there was almost no information about these threads at all. Some blogs claimed only supernatural beings could see it, but heck – he was human. Right? 

And even, even worse: this thread had only appeared about two months ago. Like bam. He had woken up and there it was, softly tingling.

He had followed it, curiosity piqued immediately, and it had been what had led him into the forest where he had spotted the Hales. And the black wolf.

The black wolf who was actually Derek, standing at the other end of the thin, golden line, watching him intently.

Stiles let out a groan and began to bite into his glove, watching the others play. He wasn’t really sure why he had not left Scott’s side and stopped playing Lacrosse. It was not as if he still needed him. 

Scott was a werewolf now – with all the official paperwork involved. His Mum had applied for him to be bitten, to get rid of his severe Asthma. It had taken a bit, but then they had received the approval letter and a Hale had come to their place, biting Scott on official order. He had stayed there until they had been sure that the bite had taken, and then Scott had to visit them for some weeks to learn control and all that mumbo jumbo. 

Theoretically everyone could apply to get bitten, but not often a request was actually approved. Being a werewolf was something special, and of course there was also always the risk of the bite not taking, even endangering someone’s life. Or, as in Jackson’s case, to turn out to be a strange lizard.

Who’d want to be a lizard?

But yeah, it had worked and Scott was a cool beta now. He still sometimes visited the Hales, especially close to the full moon, as his control still wasn’t the best. It helped a bit that his girlfriend, Allison, was one of the Hunters, so she knew what to shoot him with should he actually loose it. 

With a grumble Stiles thought about actually quitting Lacrosse. He wasn’t really invested, and he just sat on the bench anyway. There was no chance he would be able to compete with all the supernatural amazeballs in the team. Danny was just human and able to play with them, but well, Danny was Danny.

Stiles blinked as the small thread tingled, like someone had touched it in passing, and then almost fell off the bank as the Coach whistled right into his face.

“Cupcakes! You can all leave for today. The ones in the field stay – we got a big game next week and I need you to learn the tactics! Bilinski and Greenberg, you can go home.”

Greenberg groaned and then almost whined, but Stiles just grinned and nodded, dashing to the back to get a well-deserved shower! 

+++++

Greenberg was still busy folding his clothes to pack them back into his bag as Stiles waved him goodbye and then slowly walked out. His fingers curled around his backpack and the other hand ran through his still damp hair, messing it up as much as possible. 

Stiles just walked and walked, originally planning to head back to his car and then home. But when he finally looked up, he stopped dead in his tracks.

He could see the golden and glittering thread right in front of him, glinting in the most inviting way, accompanied by the sounds of a ball hitting the wall. 

With only some hesitation, he opened the door and leaned against it, looking down over the many seats offering a fantastic view over the gym where the Basketball Team was busy training. Further down he could spot some girls, some cheering, some just obviously gawking at the players. Stiles couldn’t help but grin as he put his hands down in the pockets of the comfy hoodie he was wearing, and then looked down, following his golden thread with his eyes… until it reached Derek.

Derek, who seemed to tense before he turned his head and looked right up.

Right back at him.

Stiles gulped and almost stumbled, mouth slightly open as he just stared back until his cheeks were the colour of a tomato and he turned to leave.

 

+++

 

And from that moment on, his life began to change.

Actually, scratch that – it had started to change from the moment he had begun to see the thread. Before that, he had been a normal teen, pining on his crush from afar.

Well, okay, that wasn’t altogether true, either. He had talked to Derek sometimes – not much, just the usual ‘hello’ in passing, but the werewolf had never seemed to exceptionally dislike him. They just didn’t have a real reason to talk much. Yeah, Scott was part of his family pack now, but Derek wasn’t the only one of the Hales here, so it was mostly his sister Laura who watched out for Scott. And Stiles had talked with Laura sometimes. She was nice, and seemed to like him and his quick mouth.

He also knew Peter, Derek’s uncle, mostly from when he had watched Lacrosse games or when he’d come to pick Derek up from school.

He had also seen Cora, more often than he wanted to actually. She was in the same class as he was, and man, she was rude. But even though she was really pretty and a werewolf, she didn’t really mingle with the popular girls. She more hung with Danny and liked to repair motorcycles. 

And then there were Derek’s parents, which Stiles sometimes saw when they talked to his Dad about supernatural stuff. 

But still, after that moment in the forest, and now the moment of fleeting connection during basketball practice, Stiles was kind of hyper aware of Derek’s presence in his vicinity. It probably was due to the shining thread, but suddenly he noticed that they weren’t sitting all too far from each other during Lunch, that their cars were usually parked next to each other, that they left school roughly at the same time. They got coffee from the same corner store, often even at precisely the same time (with Derek entering just when Stiles left, sometimes stalling a little as his eyes caught sight of the younger man), and they even wanted to buy the same sweets at the grocery store.

It almost felt as if Stiles had been in some little bubble before, not noticing how often their paths crossed. He had been so engulfed in his pining, that he had ruled out the possibility of ever really getting to know him, that he had shut himself off.

Huh.

He could smack himself in the head for that! 

He was about to do just that when a hand came up, grabbing his shoulder from behind. Derek loomed behind him, his face stony as he pushed him back against his locker – not violently so, but with enough pressure that Stiles yielded almost as if on instinct.

Stiles’ eyes were wide and he tensed, ready to throw out an insult – really, who was Derek that he could just shove him around? But before he could get a sound out, the werewolf suddenly leaned in, his nose just centimetres from his throat, hesitating before he spoke.

“Your name is Stiles?”

“Uh… yeah. And you’re Derek.”

The werewolf looked closely at Stiles’ face, nodded, and then retreated suddenly and without another word. Derek turned on his heels and walked on down the corridor, away from sight.

“…what the…?”

 

++++

 

“Dude, he did what?”, Scott asked with a frantic bout of laughter when they finally sat at their lunch table. Allison looked almost concerned, Lydia just cared for the nails, and Jackson snorted.

“He obviously scented him, dumbass!”

“Uh, you know… what I’m thinking about?,” Stiles interrupted the brooding Kanima. “Soulmates are all good and dandy, but why don’t you feel it from the day you are born? Why did Scott only feel it when he saw Allison? Why didn’t he feel that there was someone around earlier?”

“Because the bond only appears when both are 17 years old.”

Stiles tensed and whirled around, staring at Derek Hale. Derek standing right in front of him, his food in one hand, the other inside the pocket of his damn fine and tight Jeans. Then he nodded towards the table, or better towards the chairs to Stiles’ right.

“Are these free?”

“…they are so free….”, Stiles just heard himself mumble, before Lydia chuckled and the real Derek Hale sat down next to him, joined by Erica, Boyd and Isaac.

Before any of the others could say something, Stiles felt the urge to hit himself again as Erica leaned over and kissed Boyd. Really kissed him. On the lips. And he kissed back. 

Why did he even think Erica and Derek were a thing? Why hadn’t he bothered to ask? Arghl!

“So… uhm… what brings you here?”, Scott asked, head tilted slightly, showing his status in the pack. 

It was Isaac who answered with a grin and a nudge towards Derek. “He wants to be close to his soulmate.”

Jackson almost choked on his drink, and it was only due to Lydia’s heroic efforts that he didn’t die right then and there. Stiles wasn’t really better, though, as his fork just magically left his hand and crashed down.

“What?”

“Do you like photography, Stiles?”, Derek asked with this too awesome smile of his, the one that lit up his eyes and made his face look so much softer than his usual, brooding stare.

“Uh… never really… did pay attention to it, why?”

“I just wonder if the photo you took of me as a wolf turned out good.”

If Stiles could die from blood loss right here… he would do it. His face was no doubt more than just red, especially judging from Isaac’s grin. 

“In case it didn’t, I’d be more than willing to give you another chance at taking a good picture?”, Derek offered with the most beautiful wink Stiles had ever seen, and he found himself just nodding at that.

“Yeah… yeah! Totally! I’d totally be up to…!”

Stiles blinked and looked down at the thread which began to softly tingle. As he looked back up, he spotted Derek staring at it too. “… you can see it?”, he whispered and the wolf just nodded.

“I was hoping it would be you…”, Derek murmured. His tone was calm, but somewhat… happy. It was a good sound, coming from him. 

“And…. What happens now?” Stiles asked, feeling a bit dumbfounded.

“Now? Now he’s going to court you like a proper werewolf!”, Isaac announced and Stiles wasn’t sure if his quick heartbeat wanted to tell him that he was excited or just nervous. 

“Unless you mind,” Derek added with a smirk. When Stiles just shook his head feebly, trying to force the red from his cheeks and the blood back into his body, he leaned forward, placing the softest hint of a kiss to his cheek. 

“Good. Because I was waiting for this moment for a long time now.”

Stiles could barely believe his ears. 

Derek Hale was going to court him.

Derek Hale was his soul mate.

“… Hale yeah!”


End file.
